siemens



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

C. W. SIEMENS.

DOMESTIG GRATB 0R FIRE PLAGE.

Patented Oot. 17, .1882.

N. PETER Fhuwuhagnpmr, waxhingmn. D. CA

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. G. W. SIEMENS.

DOMESTIC GRATE 0R FIRE PEAGE.

Patented out. 17, v1882.

Jays

N. PUERS. Phowmhognphur. wnhingmn. D. C,

(.No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

C. W. SIEMENS.

DOMESTIC GRATE 0R FIRE PLAGE.

Patented Oct. 17, 1882.I

N. PETERS. Phgto-Lithognpher. washingmn. D. C.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.) Y C. W. SIEMENS.

DOMESTIC GRATE OR'PIRE PLAGE.

No. 266,213. ya Patented Oct. 17, 1882.

N4 PETERS. Photquxnqgmpher, wningmu; D. c.

Darren Smarts artnr ENGL AND.

DOMESTIClGRAYTE OR FIRE=PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming` part of Letters Patent No. 266,213, dated October17, 1882. l

Application filed April 21, 1882. (No model.)

To all tthom 4it may concern:

3e it known that I, CHARLES VILLIAM SIE- MENS, ot' Westminster, in thecounty ot' Middlesex, England, have made a new and useful 5 Improvementin the Construction ot' Domestic Crates or F ire-Places; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ot'the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of 1o the specification herein.

. My invention consists in the application ot' regenerators to domesticgrates or fire-places, whereby heat from the back and bottom of suchgrates or lire-places is communicated to air supporting the combustionat the front.

It also consists in combining with the grate a perforated pipe orchannel, whereby a gasi'larne is caused to impinge upon the substanceplaced in the front ot' the grate, whereby if 2o fuel be used itislighted and maintained incandescent without the use of wood or otherkindling materials, and it iinally consists in substituting for thelire-grate below a solid plate having an opening or openings at thefront, or a hollow casting having air-channels at the rear,communicating with the opening at the front, so as'to exclude allcommunica-- tion with the atmosphere except through such openings andthe front bars.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures l to l1, corresponding partsaredesignated by similar letters.

Fig. 1 represents avertical section on lineyy, Fig. 2, which is ahorizontal section 011 line x zu, Fig. 1, of a tire-place having myimprovements applied thereto. The slab and hearth at M, coping N, throatR, back P, and front gratebars, O, may be of any size or form which maybe deemed most advantageous. Instead ofthe 4o under grate-bars ingeneral use, an iron deadplate, C, is riveted toa stout copper plate, A,which copper plate faces the back of the tiregrate and extends bothupward and downward from the point ot'junction. The dead-plate C stopsshort at some distance behind the bottom bar of the grate-iront to leaveroom for an airway and a gasfpipe, F, which is perforated with holesplaced at equal distances apart along the inner side of its uppersurface at an angle from the vertical. Under this pipe a lower plate, D,is tixed, bent downward toward the back, so as to provide a vertical andhorizontal channel between the two plates A and C. A trap-door, E, heldby a spring or other means, is provided for the discharge ot' ashesfalling into the horizontal channel. The vertical channel is occupied bya strip ot' sheetcopper, B, bent in and out in such a manner as topresent as large a conductive area as possible, and riveted to the lowerpait ot' the cop per back piece, A. Copper being an excellent conductorot' heat, the said strip of sheet-copper or regenerative plate Btransfers the heat from the back ofthe grate to the vertical channelsGr. An air-current is set up by this heat, which, after passing up thevertical channels Gand along the horizontalchannel S, as shown by thearrows, impinges on the fuel in the front of the grate, greatlyincreasing the combustion at that point. 'Ihe abstraction ot' heat fromthe back ofthe tire and its transfer to the front present the advantageof retarding the combastion ofthe fuel at the back, while promoting` itin front of the grate where itis required.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line y y, Fig. 4, which is a plan of anempty domestic grate, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line .e z,Fig. 3, of a modified constructionot' my invention, which is moreeconomical as regards first cost than that hereinbet'ore described. slaband hearth at M, coping N, back P, and front grate-bars, C, may be ot'substantially the same construction as that hereinbeiore described withreference to Figs. l and 2, or such as are used in other tire-places nowin use. The improvements in this case are,vfirst, the gaspipe F, havinga row of holes along the upper side inclining inward, each hole facingan indentation in the plate C, and, second, an angular plate, C D, otcast copper or iron, forming the bottom and back plates, with aseriesot' projecting ribs, b, extending from front to back on its under side,which serve the purpose of regenerative surfacesthat is to say, theytransfer the heat from the back of the grate to the air-channels belowit, and thus en- The gender air-currents which impinge in front ot' thegrate,beingconducted thereto through the indentations above referred to,and greatly assist the combustion of the fuel at that point. If iron beused, instead of copper, to form a regenerative chamber or channels, itis necessary to increase the thickness of the plates and ribs in theinverse ratio ofthe conductivity ofthe two metals. In order to reducethe thickness ofthe regenerative plates or ribs b, they may be allowedto extend in a horizontal rather than a vertical direction. An inclinedplate, l', fastened to the lower grate-bar, directs the incoming airupon the heating-surfaces, and provides at the same time a support forthe angular and ribbed plate C I), which is simply dropped into its iirmposition between it and the back of the grate. rlhe front edge of thehorizontal part ot' the angular Vplate C D has indentations orrvandykedopenings c, forming a narrow grating, through which the hot air reachesthe fuel, and the ashes produced by combustion in the front part of thegrate discharge themselves down the incline toward the back of thehearth,wherean open ash-pan may be placed for their reception.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line Q Q of Fig. 7, which is ahorizontal section on line It t cf Fig. 6, and Fig. S is a halt' frontelevation of the lower part and a halt' front elevation of theregenerator-plates, ofa domestic grate, such as a kitchener or stove.The hearth M, back P, and front grate-bars, O, may be ofany usual form.'Ihe construction of this grate is substantially the same as thatdescribed with reference to Figs. 3, It, and 5, which apply to it, withthese variations, that each alternate rib b is cut cti" below thegas-pipe F, so that ahotair channel is provided o'n each side of everygas-jet, and the angular bottom back plate, G l), is not in this easeextended downward, the ribs b heilig ot'suilicient thickness forconducting the heat to be communicated to the incoming air.

Fig. 9 is a vertical section on line A B ot'FiO. 10, which is ahorizontal section on line C D of Fig. 9, and Fig. 11 is a half frontelevation of the lower part and a haltl front elevation of the bed andregenerator plates, of another kitchener or stove. The construction ofthis grate is similar to that described with reference to Figs. 6, 7,and S; but instead of the angular plate C D a hollow casting, H, isprovided, having ribs b at the rear, which are extended forward at thebottom to form the narrow grating required for the slow combustion ofthe fuel. The whole or the lower partonly ot' the hollow casting II maybe faced with refractory material-such as iire-bricks--and the ribs bmay project to the back wall; but I prefer to stop them about midway,and to cover them partially with another plate, b', as shown, wherebythe channels for heating the air destined to support combustion at thefront of the grate are considerably extended, and a more activecirculation and thorough beating of the air-currents will result.Instead of the perforated gaspipe shown in the previouslydescribedfigures, a gas-channel, F, is substituted, through which holes are madejust below a projection or lip,f, intended to protect these holes fromfalling ashes.

In using the grate with fuel it should be well filled, preferably withpieces of the size of apples. Ihe gas is then turned on t'nll andlighted. In the course of an hour the gas may be turned down toone-halt' or less, and the fire may be left without further attention,except when it is intended to improve its appearance, when a touch witha small poker near thc bottom grate-bar to clear away ashes and an inAcreased admission of gas will be desirable. 1n the course ot' five orsix hours the fuel will have been consumed t0 some extent in front ofthe ii re-place and must be replenished. The grate should be completelycleaned out from time to time to prevent accumulation of ashes towardthe back, where a dead-plate on which part of the fuel rests isemployed. In this way a cheerful tire can be kindled at any time byopening the gas-tap and putting a lighted match to the grate. Thegasvi'lames, acting only in front of the grate, soon cause the surfaceofthe fuel to glow without depriving the beholder of the cheerfulappearance of the llame. In the course of half an hour the snrface ofthe heap of fuel will be fairly red-hot, throwing out its full heat; andit" anthracite or other non-bituminous coal. coke, or charcoal be usednot a particle of flame or smoke will reach the chimney. Thereducing-flame ot' the gas prevents the rapid consumption ot' fuel infront, and the absence of air its consumption toward the bac-k of thelire. \Vhen fairly ignited the gas may be turned off, because the fuel,once weil heated, will continue to glow by slow combustion at the frontot' the grate, with the hot air coming from the regenerator. Thisconstruction of regenerative grate is also applicable to gas-stoveswhich are filled with non-combustible substances-such as asbestus-and inwhich gas alone is the fuel used. In this case, however, gz s will haveto be kept burning as long as the fire is required, and it is preferableto supply the pipe F with a mixture of gas and air instead of pure gas.

Either forni of grate may be used for fuel or for a gas-tire; ora gratecombining parts taken from one and parts taken from another drawing maybe adopted, and instead of town gas, as supplied for gas-lights, a gascomposed of carbonic oxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogensuch as is formedby the decomposition of fuel in a gas-producer-may be used; but forgasfires with asbestns lumps I prefer to employ the form of gratedescribed with reference to Figs. 9, 10, and l1.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United Statesl. The combination, in a domesticfire-place, of a back and bottom entirely closed to pre- ILO IOS

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vent the admission of air, whereby the rapid combustion ot' fuel isprevented at the bottom and back of the grate, and a perforatedgassupply pipe.

2. The combination of the back and bottom ofthe grate with a perforatedgas-supply pipe or channel iu i'ront of the close bottom of the grateand behind the bottom bar ofthe grate, as and for the purposesdescribed.

3. In a domestic grate, the combination of a metallic plate, upon whichthe fuel or noncombustble material rests or partly rests, and agas-supply pipe arranged between the metallic plate and front bars ofthe grate, as and for the purposes described.

4. In a domestic grate, a conducting plate or plates, constructed asdescribed, and adjacent air-conduit, whereby the heat from the back ofthe ash-pit is extracted and imparted to air owing in to supportcombustion.

In witness whereof l have affixed my signature hereto, in the presenceof two witnesses, this 17 th day of March, 1882.

CHARLES VILLIAM SIEMENS.

Mall, London, N otm'ys Clerks.

